


A Mother's Day

by Midnightcat1



Category: Batman: The Animated Series
Genre: Child Abuse, Episode: s01e27 The Underdwellers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 17:31:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13439745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnightcat1/pseuds/Midnightcat1
Summary: Inspired by the Batman TAS episode The Underdwellers. The Sewer King isn't happy before and after he is reunited with his mother.





	1. Chapter 1

I don't own Batman TAS characters.

 

 

A scowl formed on the Sewer King's face after a boy appeared with a newspaper. He continued to stand near his throne. ''I expected pretties! Not newspapers! Zero pretties?'' The Sewer King watched as the boy's shoulders slumped. His scowl remained. His body trembled.

''BRING PRETTIES FOR YOUR KING!'' He viewed the boy dropping the newspaper and running. The Sewer King glanced at the newspaper. He gasped.   
His body ceased trembling. He stepped back.

There was a photo of the boy holding the newspaper and entering the sewer. 

*If the cops find me... I won't remain in a cell due to children stealing pretties for me!* the Sewer King thought. His scowl returned at a snail's pace. *If my parents find out about me....* The Sewer King began to smile. He shrugged. 

*Dad never gave me anything nice when I was a boy. Never pretties for me at all. He never liked it when I talked near him. I was seen and never heard* the Sewer King thought. He continued to smile. *I remember shouting for my children to never talk during lessons. Children should be seen. Never heard.* 

The Sewer King remembered his true name. Wendell Lewis. There were other things he remembered. How he always mentioned wishing to live in the sewer. Any other place but home. He remembered entering the sewer as a teen. Mostly to run from his father's loud voice. ''CHILDREN SHOULD BE SEEN AND NEVER HEARD!'' 

The Sewer King also remembered his mother. How she always frowned and never prevented Mr. Lewis from shouting. Perhaps he mistreated her as well? The Sewer King's eyes widened for a moment. He began to scowl another time. He tensed. 

*Mom obtained one pretty for me years ago. A toy alligator* the Sewer King thought. A rare sad smile formed on his face. He no longer tensed.

*Mom never had much money at all. I remember her smile as I mentioned liking alligators. How I liked viewing their multiple teeth. How they were territorial. I always wished for my own alligator. A real alligator or a toy one* the Sewer King thought. 

The sad smile remained. *Mom returned from her job and held something behind her back. I will always recall her smile. I remember her revealing a toy alligator. I remember taking the alligator and holding it. How I recall her smile remaining. Parents usually enjoy viewing their happy children* he thought. That was when the Sewer King scowled again. 

*Dad frowned as he approached me. He glanced from me to the alligator in my arms. Mom's eyes were filled with worry. I watched as her body tensed. Dad's frown always frightened her. She always remembered how enraged he was for a variety of reasons.* The Sewer King continued to scowl. His body tensed again. 

The memory continued. 

''You know we don't have enough money to spend on toys!'' Mr. Lewis said to Mrs. Lewis. He saw a sudden sheepish expression on his wife's face. Mr. Lewis scowled and trembled at the same time. His eyes settled on the alligator another time. He seized the alligator before Wendell gasped. ''Zero pretties for me? Zero pretties for you, Wendell!'' he said. 

Mr. Lewis continued to scowl as he gripped the alligator's sides and tore it in half. He glanced at tears in Wendell's eyes. There were also tears in his wife's eyes. Mr. Lewis tore all of the alligator's limbs off. Not even what was left of the tail was spared. He dropped all parts. ''I'm going for a walk,'' Mr. Lewis said. He turned and approached the front door. After opening the door and closing it, he abandoned his family. 

*Dad probably assumed I was going to be too loud as I sobbed near what was left of my toy* the Sewer King thought. He remembered sobbing uncontrollably near every part. Mrs. Lewis wasn't able to comfort her six-year-old son. 

*I guess my toy alligator being ripped apart is why I'm always distressed if my actual pretties are harmed* the Sewer King thought. He smiled another time. 

Footsteps caused the Sewer King to tilt his head to one side. *Are my children returning with pretties not sewer alligators? Perhaps my alligators are approaching me for pets* he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

The Sewer King viewed two alligators appearing. He smiled again. He sat on his throne and watched as the alligators approached him. ''A king with pretties,'' he said to the alligators. The Sewer King scratched their snouts. *I remember coming across alligators as a young man* he thought. Another memory formed. 

Wendell ran in the sewer after Mr. Lewis yelled near him for speaking again. He never looked back. *I should live here. Dad will never find me* he thought. Wendell ceased running. *Maybe I will be with alligators!* He smiled. 

Wendell gasped after he heard footsteps. He stepped back. *Dad found me?* He trembled as his eyes widened. Wendell imagined his father scowling and approaching him. He winced at the thought of Mr. Lewis hitting him and knocking him down. He gasped again as soon as three alligators appeared. 

The alligators hissed before they approached Wendell. 

''I'm not your enemy! I'm Wendell.'' He stretched his arms in front of his body before he revealed his palms. ''Zero weapons,'' Wendell said. He began to tremble another time. He blinked after the alligators rubbed their snouts against his palms. 

Wendell smiled before he ceased trembling. ''Pretties,'' he said to the alligators. He watched as they smiled near him. ''I'll be your king. The Sewer King!'' His smile stretched from ear to ear. He scratched their snouts. 

A few hours went by before a hungry Wendell moved a sewer lid to one side. He emerged from the sewer and saw many people. Confused, he tilted his head to one side. He also saw all scowls. 

''A boy from a sewer? You freak!'' a man shouted while he continued to scowl. He threw a can at Wendell before the latter dodged it. 

Wendell's eyes were wide another time. He dodged another can after it was thrown. He ran to the sewer. Wendell entered it before he moved the lid again. He found himself with his new alligators. Tears formed in his eyes. 

The alligators approached Wendell another time. They used their tails to dry his eyes.

Wendell's smile returned before he embraced them. ''My pets. My pretties. You will never harm me,'' he said. 

The Sewer King's memory vanished after there were new footsteps. He scowled again the minute a few children appeared.


	3. Chapter 3

''PRETTIES FOR YOUR KING?'' He watched as one girl took a penny out of her pocket. He shook with anger. The Sewer King continued to scowl. ''Not a pretty!'' His body stopped shaking. 

The Sewer King pointed at the girl. ''Y,y,y,you are distressing me by not bringing pretties! Ohhh. Yes! Yes! Yes!'' He jabbed at the air with every word. 

The Sewer King remembered coming across various orphans while attempting to steal food months ago. He never forgot about others throwing objects at him. Just for being different. A smile materialized on the Sewer King's face. *I'll remain in the sewer while children steal for me. Ohhh. Yes! Yes! Yes!* he thought. 

Children stepped back after they viewed the Sewer King. They focused on the latter's red cape and brown suit. They also saw one half of his sunglasses. 

''You poor orphans. I'll take care of you. Nobody loved me as well,'' the Sewer King said after a sudden frown. He tried to remember his mother. How she always failed to protect him from Mr. Lewis. His body shook while he scowled. 

''I will protect you from those harming you. Ohhh. Yes. Yes. You will bring pretties for your king in return. The Sewer King. You won't talk during lessons at all. Children should be seen and never heard,'' the Sewer King said. He viewed the children exchanging glances.  
His smile came back after the children entered the sewer. 

After the memory, the Sewer King glanced at his children. He scowled another time. ''PRETTIES FOR YOUR KING!'' he shouted. The Sewer King viewed them scattering. He smiled again. *The cops will never see the children. They will never arrest me* he thought. 

The Sewer King heard footsteps another time. He began to blink. *My children returned?* The Sewer King's smile came back. *Perhaps my other pets are approaching me* he thought. He glanced at the alligators near him. 

''I will give you new scritches.'' 

The Sewer King saw a familiar face. He recognized a woman's long hair, dark dress, etc. He stepped back after he gasped. ''MOM?!''


	4. Chapter 4

Mrs. Lewis began to approach the Sewer King at a snail's pace. Concern filled her eyes. ''Wendell?'' She watched as he winced.   
''That is your name. You'll always be Wendell,'' she said. 

Mrs. Lewis saw alligators near the Sewer King. She gasped before she stepped back. She viewed the alligators snapping and stepped back again. 

The Sewer King scowled at Mrs. Lewis. He viewed her as a trespasser. ''Why are you here? How did you find me?'' he wished to know. 

''I remember seeing a picture of a boy entering a sewer in the newspaper recently,'' Mrs. Lewis said. 

The Sewer King remembered the exact same photo from earlier. He also remembered the boy in the newspaper. He watched as the same boy appeared near Mrs. Lewis. His hands formed fists by either side of his body. The Sewer King viewed the boy holding a few coins. The coins were not exactly pretties. 

*Mom might go to the cops if she recognizes the boy from the photo* the Sewer King thought. He had to prevent her from seeing him. The Sewer King saw a staff on the ground. After lifting it, he turned to the boy. He continued to scowl as he used the staff to strike the ground twice. He viewed the boy turning and running. 

''Wendell?'' Mrs. Lewis asked after her eyes widened. She saw a single wide eye. Mrs. Lewis stepped back another time the minute he dropped the staff. She never forgot about the alligators. ''I'm here to be with you. You shouldn't have to live in a sewer,'' she said. 

''Others never liked me. They threw objects at me. I have to live in the sewer. I HAVE TO!'' the Sewer King said. 

''You'll be safe with me, Wendell,'' Mrs. Lewis said. She saw the return of the Sewer King's scowl. 

''SEWER KING! SEWER KING!'' 

''Dear, use your indoor voice,'' Mrs. Lewis said. 

The Sewer King continued to scowl at Mrs. Lewis. He blinked after she focused on his clothes. His eyes widened again the minute she rubbed a cape. 

''Very nice cape, Wendel.... Sewer King!'' Her eyes settled on the Sewer King's brown jacket and matching trousers. ''Very interesting colors.'' She also saw buttons on a frilly blouse. Mrs. Lewis tilted her head to one side the minute she saw long boots. ''Pirate boots?'' 

The Sewer King looked ahead and scowled another time. ''Dad? He's with you?'' he wished to know. The Sewer King saw tears in his mother's eyes. A rare concerned expression materialized on his face. ''Dad?'' 

''Your father was sick a week ago,'' Mrs. Lewis said. She heard the Sewer King as he gasped. Two tears ran down her face. Mrs. Lewis thought she saw a smile. 

''I wished to be near my father as my pretties tore him apart,'' the Sewer King said. He glanced at alligators. He continued to smile. ''Just like how he tore my toy alligator apart years ago.''


	5. Chapter 5

The Sewer King viewed Mrs. Lewis scowling. One expression of confusion replaced his smile. He blinked twice. ''Mom?'' 

''Your father never abandoned us. He tried to provide for us, you brat!'' Mrs. Lewis said. 

The Sewer King's scowl came back at a snail's pace. ''I guess you forgot about my tears after my toy alligator was ripped to shreds,'' he said. 

''Never,'' Mrs. Lewis said. 

''Oh?'' The Sewer King began to look ahead another time. He wondered if any of his children returned from obtaining various pretties for him. His eyes increased in size again. *Mom is going to see the children with pretties and go to the cops! Hopefully she will be with me for a short time* he thought. 

The Sewer King heard many footsteps. *Children?* he thought. He glanced at his alligators another time. *Additional pretties?*

The Sewer King and his mother gasped at the same time after six children appeared.


	6. Chapter 6

Dirt was visible on all young faces. There were bruises on a few arms. 

The Sewer King glanced at the staff on the floor. He remembered using it to strike their arms a few days ago. All because children talked during lessons. He faced Mrs. Lewis. He wondered if she was going to adopt his children. Perhaps she was willing to allow them to do things he never liked such as talking, having fun, etc. 

''I'll care for you,'' Mrs. Lewis said to the children. She smiled after she saw their happy expressions. 

The Sewer King began to blink repeatedly. ''You are remaining here?'' he wished to know. He watched as Mrs. Lewis turned to him and nodded. 

Mrs. Lewis faced all children another time. ''I'm going to buy new clothes for all of you. I'm also going to buy a big chocolate cake,'' she said. Mrs. Lewis saw tears of joy in their eyes. She continued to smile after they embraced her. Mrs. Lewis faced the Sewer King.

''I'm going to buy new underwear for you, Wendell.'' She glanced at the children before they continued to smile. She turned to the Sewer King. Confused, Mrs. Lewis tilted her head to one side after many tears ran down the Sewer King's face.

 

THE END


End file.
